Purpose of the tool
This tool has been designed to help local government demonstrate the impact of investing in community action.
It is intended to be used by council officers looking to quantify certain benefits, typically associated with community action projects.
When to use the tool
The tool can be used at either the ‘decision to invest' or outline business case stage, or as part of reviewing the benefits achieved for a particular project or intervention to date. The latter may help with decisions about whether or not to continue, or scale up, a project. The tool is not intended to cover every possible scenario, or the full range of benefits associated with investment in community action (such as an individual's quality of life, or confidence to take a more active role in their community). It is not intended for use by those working on large scale capital investment projects.
How to use the tool
It is best practice to highlight a range of values when identifying potential benefits (i.e. the best and worst case scenarios). Therefore, any figures this tool generates should be thought of as part of, or a way to identify, what that range may be. The tool will flag a range of benefits, some cashable, some not. Ultimately, local circumstances will dictate how this manifests from project to project.
As much as possible, involving the council finance team to assist with any business case development is always preferable. This tool is meant to be indicative, and is aimed at assisting colleagues new to these approaches.